Mail-pouch attachment.



PATENTED JULY 19, 1904' W. D. MILLER.

MAIL POUCH ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED KEPT. 4, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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W/TNEssw 0%! 6 @2151 Patented July 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DEWITT MILLER, OF. SACO, MONTANA.

MAIL-POUCH ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,504, dated July 19, 1904. Application filed September 4, 1903. Serial No. 171,898. (No model.)

1'0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM DEWITT MIL- LER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Saco, in the county of Valley and State of Montana, have invented a new and Improved Mail-Pouch Attachment, of which the following is a full. clear, and exact description.

The purpose of this invention is to render more certain the catching of a mail-pouch by the arm of a moving train and the catching of the delivered pouch by the arm of the mailcrane. \Vith the apparatus now ordinarily employed should the arm of the moving train strike the pouch at any point excepting approximately the middle thereof the arm fails to securely engage the pouch and the latter is frequently not caught by the train, and when the pouch is thrown from the train it is heavily jarred and its contents frequently injured.

My invention seeks to overcome these disadvantages, and in attaining this end I apply to either pouch a cord the ends of which are connected to the ends of the pouch, and when the pouch is held by the crane the middle portion of the cord or rope is held by a releasable clasp on the crane, and when the pouch is to be delivered from the train it is hung on the mail-pouch arm of the train, with the cord or rope distended, so that it may be caught by one of the arms of the crane. With this arrangement should the mail-catching arm of the train strike the'pouch near its ends it will catch the cord, which in turn will sustain the pouch, and the collection of the mail will not fail. Also the aforesaid arm of the crane will engage the cord of the pouch to be delivered from the train, and the pouch will thus be caught and will not be rolled along the ground, as is generally the present practice. The said arm of the crane'is mounted to swing on the standard, and this materiallydecreases the jar incident to the delivery of the pouch.

This specification is an exact description of one example of my invention, while the claims define the actual scope thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is an elevational view showing my inventionin use. Fig. 2 is asectional plan on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing one of the releasable clasps on the crane. Fig. 4 is a view showing the invention applied to a small-sized pouch. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the additional cord and strap employed in the arrangement shown in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of the manner of connecting the cord or rope with the pouch.

In Fig. 1, (4 indicates the pouch to be collected by the train, and Z) the pouch which is to be delivered. Each of these pouches is provided with acord c, which cords, as shown best in Fig. 6, are provided with snap-hooks 0, adapted to engage the rings 0 of the pouches. The rings 0 of the pouches are hooked on the arms (Z and e of the crane in the usual manner, and spring-clasps f are provided to hold the cord of the pouch a distended. These catches may be of any desired construction, but are preferably of the form shown in Fig. 3. The pouch I) has its upper ring 0 removably engaged with a suitable hook or pin, on themail-catching arm gof the the train, and the cord 0 of said pouch b is held in a releasable catch 71., located at the outer end of the arm, thus disposing the cord of the pouch?) ina loop, and for holding the cord so disposed against the currents of air induced by the train a weight it is provided, said weight being pivoted at the outer end of the arm 9 and hanging pendent therefrom and having at its lower end a releasable clasp k engaging the cord. The arm 0 of the crane is provided with oppositely-projecting hooks 0, ar-

ranged to engage the cord 0 of the pouch b,

according to the side of the arm toward which the train moves. Said arm 0 is mounted to swing around the standard of the crane, which in other respects may be of the usual construction. These parts being arranged as described, as the train approaches the crane the arm 9 engages the bag a. If this engagement is true, the bag will be caught in the usual manner. If by any accident the arm 9 should not properly strike the bag a, the bag will nevertheless be caught by the engagement of the arm with the cord 0 of said bag, and the bag will be disengaged from the arms (Z and e and the cord 0 from the catches f. Simultaneously the cord 0 of the pouch I; will be engaged with the corresponding hook e of the arm (2 and the pouch b and its cord disengaged from the several holding devices on the arm 9, thus catching the bag on the arm of the crane, which arm will swing around, as indicated by the broken lines in. Fig. 2, and thus break the force of the delivered pouch.

Figs. 4: and 5 illustrate a modification of the invention especially adapted for the smallersiZed pouches, which are not of sufiicient length to reach between the arms of the crane. In this case an additional cord 70 is provided, having rings is at its ends, which are engaged in the usual manner withthe arms of the crane, and the cord 0, before described, is engaged with the said cord 76 or with the rings 75 thereof. A strap or any other suitable means (indicated at Z) is provided to fasten the small pouch m to the cord 71:. The operation and use of this form of the invention-is essentially the same as that before described.

Various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of my invention may be resorted to at will without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Hence I consider myself entitled to all such variations as may lie within the scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent- 1. A mail-pouch, having a cord, the ends of which are respectively in connection with the .ends of the pouch, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with a support, of a mail-pouch mounted thereon, a cord, the ends of which are in connection with the respective ends of the pouch, and releasable clasps attached to the support to hold the intermediate portion of the cord removed from the side of the pouch.

3. A mail-catcher crane, having an arm with transverse hooks for the purpose specified and said arm being mounted to swing around a vertical axis.

4. A mail-catcher arm for railway mailcars, having a releasable catch, a weight hung from the arm, and a second releasable catch held by said weight.

5. The combination with a support, of a mail-pouch mounted thereon, a cord, the ends of which are respectively in connection with the ends of the pouch, and means engaged with an intermediate portion of the cord, to hold the same out of contact with the side of the pouch, for the purpose specified.

6. The combination with the mail-catching arm of a railway mail-car, of a mail-pouch, means for supporting the pouch on the arm, a cord attached to the pouch, and means on the arm for releasably holding the cord distended.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM DEWITT MILLER. v

Witnesses:

HARRY A. VAGG, C. W. NnLsoN. 

